This invention relates to a solar heater roof panel construction.
Solar heaters are used in various ways to produce energy from the sun.
The usual method of positioning the solar heater particularly for domestic use, is to place the heater onto a sloping roof in a position where it receives the maximum radiation from the sun.
Many forms of such panel are already proposed and these usually comprise a weather-proof box-like rectangular housing adapted to fit onto a sloping roof and having within the housing a solar collector plate which consists of a series of channels through which either the water to be heated is passed or through which an absorber fluid is passed which then transfers the heat it receives, by means of a heat exchanger, to the area where the heat is required, the solar collector plate being usually protected by layers of glass or other transparent materials on the front to reduce heat losses caused by the wind and air circulation, and also to trap reradiated energy from the solar collector plate. Heat insulation material is usually placed between the solar collector plate and the box to reduce heat losses through the box.
Units constructed for mounting on a roof generally are relatively expensive because they are self-contained and also they are in many cases aesthetically objectionable because they must be positioned on a part of the roof which faces the sun and generally do not match the roof structure itself in appearance.